Tennessee Voices, Episode 236: Bettie Kirkland, CEO, Project Return
In 1979, Reverends Bill Barnes and Don Beisswenger founded Project Return in Nashville to help people re-enter society after incarceration.
For more than 40 years, the nonprofit had no permanent home until September, when it moved to its headquarters on Lafayette Street near downtown.
The organization has expanded and opened a location in Chattanooga.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices podcast, CEO Bettie Kirkland talked about Project Return's mission, its work and the challenges of serving clients during COVID-19.
Project Return focuses on employment opportunities and wraparound services for recently incarcerated citizens. She calls the organization a "high-quality staffing agency."
The rate of COVID infection in jails and prisons was higher than in the overall population, so recently freed people left incarceration traumatized in addition to having to worry about their next steps.
Kirkland has written several guest essays over the years on topics such as racial equity, voting rights and how employers can help.
The work is also about gaining empathy from the community for Project Return's clients.
"The world shuns them wherever they go," she said. "The beauty is the opportunity to get a new beginning."
Op-Ed by Bettie Kirkland: How companies can help end racial inequity
Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.
Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee.
Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee.
Your state. Your stories. Support more reporting like this.
A subscription gives you unlimited access to stories across Tennessee that make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Click here to become a subscriber.
About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at [email protected]. Thank you for watching.
Finally, our journalists are working hard during this pandemic to bring you accurate, verified and solid information. Please consider subscribing and supporting local journalism.
Watch past episodes: Tennessee Voices videocast
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Formerly incarcerated people re-entering society with Bettie Kirkland
